Real Estate Thought Leaders
Scott Richard isn’t selling AI like the rest of the industry. The broker-turned-tech-founder is allergic to hype. And after scratching his own itch, he’s built tools that are so useful, agents and brokers sell themselves. Scott’s playbook is all about authenticity, live demos, and getting insanely specific about who he’s talking to. Here’s how he’s actually getting agents’ attention in a market where everyone’s been pitched to death. Stop Trying to Convince Agents of Anything. Let your tool do the talking…and literally, the showing. Scott’s AI product came from...
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Ray Wood has been around long enough to know what doesn't work with agents. The Aussie-Canadian direct response veteran behind has tried every outreach tactic in the book. Cold calls, one-on-one calls, high-end sales presentations. But he's finding that sometimes, agents want less personal attention. Here's what Ray's learned about reaching agents in 2025, plus the testing strategy that's letting him run 100+ ad variations simultaneously. Here are the Non-Obvious Insights from our Conversation… Group-First, Low-Pressure Offers are Beating 1:1 Calls Right Now. "I reach out [to agents]...
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Facing critical decisions on your marketing and content strategy? Click below to learn about working with me in a 90-Day Strategy Sprint. Mike’s a self-admitted data guy. Not a sales or marketing guy. But he did 3 really smart things. And he ended up building a category king business and getting acquired by HousingWire. Here are the… Non-Obvious Insights from our Conversation: Behavior Signals Mindset. “Those are our customers, you know, they’re investing in their business. They’re paying for a CRM, they’re buying digital ads, they’re farming. If they’re investing in their...
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This platform is about the non-obvious, the subversive, the counterintuitive stuff. That’s where Jess really stands out. We’re talking… * screenshotting troll comments and sharing them openly * posting on IG for years without selling anything * breaking the model of “accountability” coaching She also runs from a small Caribbean island. Is she the Bond villain of real estate coaching? Too generous and fun to be a villain… But she just might be the next model of real estate coaching. She sells systems and permission. Not butt-kicking accountability. She’s raw, irreverent, and...
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This week shares some tactics you can test in the next 30 days with zero change of strategy. The inspiration is a chat with DJ Paris about how he’s using to reach and attract agents to the Chicago-based brokerage he serves. Now let’s get into the tactics… Video SMS for Cold Outreach “I now do video SMS... I think it’s actually less invasive than a text message... they can visually see that I have this set up. They may know that I have a podcast…And here I am reaching out to them individually.“ DJ Paris Sending video texts with his podcast branding behind him is a nice twist,...
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Mike’s most effective video wasn’t what I expected. But when YouTube comes up in my conversations with leaders, I hear a much bigger, unspoken question. “What does it cost to WIN on YouTube…In time, energy, money…and my SOUL?” That’s what I want to dig into in this edition. So here are the non-obvious insights from the chat with Mike and my analysis. Plan on $100k & 2 years minimum to “prime the system.” “Well for 3 years, I was putting out 2, 3 videos a week. And after 3 years, I had like 1500 subscribers. Nobody knew who I was, not much engagement on my content until...
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Here’s a short list of things Jay is NOT doing to promote his * speaking all over the country * shouting about how he hit #1 on Amazon * staying up til 2am giving his 10th podcast interview of the day But he’s also not coasting on the success of Millionaire Real Estate Agent and The ONE Thing. Jay is playing a different game. Here are the Non-Obvious Insights from our Conversation… Category Killers Own Bookshelves for Decades "I want a long bestselling book in the sense that it's best in category...I call them category killers and I don't think you should write anything else." If an...
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Lars had a massive ad budget, a “closer” team, all the tech tools to max out ROAS.Still couldn’t get the conversion numbers he wanted. So he started taking sales calls with agents again.Over 150 this year. And what is he hearing from agents? Exhaustion.Not because agents are doing the fundamentals and it’s not working. They don’t even want to hear that fundamentals are the answer. So I asked Lars if there’s a sweet spot between what agents want to hear…and what they need to hear from industry leaders? Lars’ hilarious response was, “Oh my Lord…Oh my Lord…” There’s a...
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Reminder: The content is not for agents, this is a mastermind-style newsletter for real estate leaders, insiders and content creators. A place where we can openly discuss the challenges of reaching and engaging agents, building brands and dominating niches. You won’t find this content all over social media, so if it’s valuable, forward it to a friend. This week is a little detour into the world of real estate coaching and AI. But the insights apply to anyone scaling a business around expertise (which is many of my friends and clients). In coaching, there’s a huge bottleneck to scaling....
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For Tristan, community isn’t a tactic you bolt onto your marketing strategy. Everything starts with community. When you spend more than a decade immersed in building communities, can you blame him? He’s definitely had a lot of time to break down what works. Going from Lab Coat Agents to… * Masterminding community strategy for Follow Up Boss (pre-acquisition) * Consulting with bigger brands on community strategy * Running his own community, Communities can be inspirational…aspirational…plus you have the lure of getting a free boost from social platforms. Years ago, friends in 2...
info_outline25,000 agents in Phoenix alone. Dominate that market and your podcast is automatically among the top in the country. Same for newsletter or YouTube channel.
So that’s what Lance Billingsley is doing. As VP of Agent Development at Navi Title (AZ’s fastest growing title co), he’s out talking to agents every day.
He wanted to build a show around the mindset of the top 13% of agents.
But he’s starting hyper-local. And it’s working.
Non-Obvious Insights from our Conversation:
Create “Pick Up Your Head” content
“Agents do nothing but keep their heads down. They work with their heads down, they work in their market, they’re stressed about rates, inventory, rules. The good ones pick their heads up every once in a while, look around and go, ‘Oh, that’s what I need to pivot to!”
Create content about the 30,000 foot view, throw in the right guest and fast pacing, and you have a winning formula to get agents to pick up their heads.
Your best podcast guest might not be the big name
“Arizona is such a niche unicorn market that people just want to hear from local people in their market…that they see their signs or they see their names.”
Bonus if you can find that local agent who cranks out big numbers without big talk. Tap into the natural mystery and intrigue they’ve built up in your market.
Email + Partnerships Move the Needle…Not Social Media Alone
Lance partnered with WeSERV, the Phoenix-area REALTOR association, to sponsor and promote the podcast, as well as the Arizona School of Real Estate & Business.
These kinds of partnerships - title or mortgage company paired with local association - are potential golds mine for all brands involved.
The association gets content that’s way more engaging than they could produce on their own. The title/mortgage company gets credibility and reach to every agent in that association. Win win.
Want to go deeper? Click on the audio file above to listen to the full chat, also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Or Hit Reply and tell me what you’re seeing in your marketing
Are big name guests or partners failing to move the needle for you?
There are hidden reasons for that.
Steal This:
Get hyper-targeted. Create a limited series of content that ONLY appeals to your best prospect.
AI enables mass personalization. So agents are about to expect more personalization in the ways brands and leaders market to them. Get ahead of that trend with small experiments to find what grabs attention.
Quick Links & Resources
Connect with Lance on LinkedIn
Big THANK YOU to Lance for pulling back the curtain on the strategy and tactics behind his show.
If you don’t know him, fix that! Reach out to connect with him.
He’s one of the most forward thinking people you’ll meet in the title space.
-Matt
CEO - MicroFamous Author - MicroFamous
PS Want a platform like this?Click here to learn about our done-for-you services.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rethoughtleaders.substack.com